July 24, 2026
For many students, an engineering internship is an opportunity to build experience and add a line to a résumé. At CMI2, it’s an opportunity to take what they’ve learned and apply it to real-world challenges.
This summer, student interns from West Virginia University and the University of Pittsburgh took that experience into the field at Camp Grayling, Michigan, where they joined CMI2’s Accelerating FORCE team in support of Rapid Operational Innovation Detachment (ROID) DIRT Days 26.3.
Working alongside Soldiers, engineers, researchers, and technology developers, interns with CMI2’s Design Innovation Group (DIG) supported hands-on experimentation focused on tactical small UAS, counter-UAS, signature management, mobile manufacturing and repair, and contested logistics.
The experience reflects what makes a CMI2 internship different. Interns don’t simply observe the innovation process—they participate in it. They design and build prototypes, support experimentation, gather feedback directly from Soldiers, and see how workshop ideas perform in realistic operational environments.
For interns Cameron Krause, Joseph Wowczuk, Natalie Esposito, Evie Harper, Joseph Layton, and Nathan Belculfine, the week at Camp Grayling gave them the chance to see the full innovation cycle firsthand alongside DIG Deputy Director Kris Warner Jr.
It’s an approach grounded in CMI2’s Innovation in the Dirt® philosophy: build it, test it, learn from it, and use those insights to make it better.
